


Lost In The Echo

by the_dragon_wolf



Category: Echo (Visual Novel 2019)
Genre: F/M, First time writing, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:41:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25235611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_dragon_wolf/pseuds/the_dragon_wolf
Relationships: chase Hunter/Carl Hendrickson
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

'you know being stuck inside your head for the past few years gives you a lot of time to think.' My name is Chase Hunter I'm a river otter and I've been stuck here since I was eight, here being my mind watching someone or something make all of my decisions for me. It all started that day where one of my friends and another otter and my cousin on my father's side of the family,being his brother's son. was drowned by something. I still remember that day even though I wish I didn't. It was a hot day, hotter than usual so my friends and I decided to go to Lake Emma to cool off. The six of us reached the lake and split off. I headed toward the water and swam around a bit. Leo Alveras a maned wolf and the reason why most if not all of us became friends in the first place started tossing rock out for my to find, a fennec fox Jasmine or Jenna Begay as she likes to be called now was reading a manga on the rocky parts of the beach, Carl Hendrickson a ram was scratching a picture on a boulder, Tobias or 'Tj' Hess a lynx was building or attempting to build a sandcastle on the beach and Sydney was alone on a different part of the beach in the water. I think Flynn, a Gila monster, another one of our friends, wasn't there. He had to do something with his aunt and uncle. I wasn't too sure at what it was but he couldn't get out of it no matter what.  
'Hey,Chase can you give us a ride.' Carl's voice calls out across the water. He was usually the first to ask for a ride since he couldn't swim that well due to his hooves After him followed the rest of the group except for Syd being an otter himself. We took turns taking out the others and going back.  
B'Yea sure let me go get Sydney first.' I said back. I knew that if I didn't he would revert back to the asshole he could be. I ducked underwater to get to where Sydney was swimming and popped up close to were Tj was and quickly saw the horror written across the lynx's face. He noticed me bobbing the water and screamed.  
'Chase, Sydney's in trouble!' while pointing out further into the water. I ducked down again and saw Sydney struggling in the water against something. I popped back up and yelled.  
'Tj go get Leo and tell him to go get help!'i shouted before diving down to help Sydney. As I closed into the now limp otter I saw a dark red skeleton watching from the dark lake.I grabbed Sydney by his shirt and swam up. I surfaced and saw Tj still standing with his eyes wide with shock or terror.  
'Tj go get Leo.' I had to yell again and that seemed to shake the lynx out of whatever funk he was in and he tore up the beach towards Leo and the others. It was hard work trying to get back to the shore with soaking wet otter in heavy clothes while trying to keep both of our heads above water and at some point my grip on Syd's shirt slipped and he sunk a couple of inches back under but I quickly caught him. After a tense thirty minutes I reach the shore and Leo and the others reach us with some adults. That was the last time any of us saw Sydney alive, after his death things were never the same.  
But that was years ago and some of us are still being affected by that indecent.'I' developed sleep paralysis and hallucinations, Tj wouldn't even talk about what happened, Jenna became cold to almost everyone, Carl developed anxiety, Leo became even more protective of everyone and Flynn was the worst one yet. While he was normally an asshole he took it to a whole new level. He would constantly bully Tj to get answers and every time Tj would eventually force his way through it only for Flynn to get more aggressive and insist that Tj wasn't telling the truth. That lasted till 'me' Carl, Tj, and Jenna moved away for college. Now we're going back for spring break to meet up with our friends and for 'me' to do a documentary on Echo. The drive from PU to Tj's school was kinda out of the way but it wouldn't be the same without the younger lynx.  
'Thanks for picking me up Chase.' Tj stated as he made himself comfortable in the backseat of my van. He was the last one to be picked up considering that Jenna and 'I' went to the same school and Carl dropped out due to his anxiety, which was sad because we became closer friends being roommates and all.  
'No problem Tj.' I replied while starting the car and changing the address on the GPS so we didn't get lost, before pulling out of the school parking lot near his dorm room.  
'So Chase, are you excited to be heading back to Echo and seeing everyone again?'Jenna asked, speaking for the first time since we left PU. She had her snout deep into one of her psychology books, only bringing her head out of it to say hello to Tj.  
'i guess, I'm not really going to Echo for fun and games considering that I have to do my project, but it'll be nice to see everyone again.' I answered.hoping that my project would be easy because i remember at one point Carl’s ,mom was attempting to write a book about their families history.The Hendrickson’s have been in Echo since its foundation way back when.Only Jenna and Flynn’s families have lived there for years before the rest of us moved to the town.While conversing with Teej and Jen about classes i merge onto the highway heading towards Echo.I started to get a mild migraine as we got closer and closer to Echo,i tried to remember if i took my medicine before we got on the road and drew a blank.I had to start taking meds after my cousins death,we were not particularly close but we didn't hate each other as much as we acted like sometimes,we were the only kids our age that we know before we moved to Echo.  
After a couple of hours driving and a few bathroom and food breaks we were almost near route 65 when my phone rang.I briefly wondered who i could have been because i talked to Leo after our last bathroom break which was around 30 minutes ago.a quick glance at my screen showed that its my mom.i reached out with a paw to grab a hold of my phone from the dashboard mount  
“hello “i answered as soon as i had the phone to my ear  
“Hello dear how's the trip back to Echo,did you pick up little Tobias yet?”a smooth and sweet voice that still had a slight Texas twang to it filled my ears.  
“Yea ma we picked him up and we should be coming up on route 65 soon”I said back adjusting my phone against my ear and shoulder,glancing to the right to see jenna with her nose buried in a book and her ears swiveling towards my direction.  
“Your driving right now!”She practically screamed into the phone.She is a firm believer in not talking and driving.  
“Well of course im driving ma,im the only one that can and i wasn't about to let you go to voicemail,because you hate when i don't answer your calls right away”I responded slightly exasperated.  
“Oh yes that's right Jenna doesn't like to drive that much and Tobias has yet to go to classes.and you shouldn't be talking while driving Chase Jude Hunter ”She had that note of realization in her voice…that almost immediately became angry,anger that only a mother can feel towards her child,when said child does something dumb.  
“Then I should call or text you back when we arrive,” I said, rolling my eyes slightly. She somehow always manages to call me when i'm driving and we have this same conversation.  
“Yes darling call me later when you're not driving bye suga” her darlings sounded like dahling evertimes she said them.  
“Yes ma i'll text you later because the rest of the gang are going to show up at our motel room later with food”i told her before hanging up the phone just in time to hear the gps say turn right onto Route 65,which wasn't even called that anymore as i later found out.From Carl when we began planning this trip to begin with.


	2. Chapter 2

After driving down Route 65 for another half hour or so the GPS told me to to take a right onto Lake Emma Road.Lake Emma Road was an old dirt road the rounded the edge of Lake Emma and was the only way into town.Echo wasn't that big of a town since it used to be an old mining town.The town only had a population of around 300 and has only been declining since the 70s.Most of the towns people moved to Payton since everything in Echo started to lose business and were forced to close down.Only Leo,Carl and,Flynn really stayed in town from our group since Jen and I live in Pueblo for college and Tj lives in Evergrand for his Christian college,I think the name of it was Saint John's Christian Academy.Sure there were other people who we went to highschool with that still lived in town,mainly due to them doing meth and other drugs.But we were never really friends with them in our younger days.  
"Hey Jenna are you planning on going to see your family?" I asked because we haven't been back to Echo since we graduated from EHS,and while I knew she had problems with her family since we were kids we were adults now maybe she could reconnect with her family.  
"if they're still druggies then no,I won't have any part of it." Came her quick response.I hummed in confirmation that I heard her.It was no secret that she hated the fact that her family did drugs or least her younger brother does.  
Tj piped up from the backseat.He had been mostly silent on the way here only chiming in about the music every now and then.  
"Come on Jenna shouldn't you at least try to make it work?".I glanced at him through the rear view mirror and he was leaning forward over the middle console.Tj never really knew what went on with Jenna and her family, mainly because we didn't really want him to find out about it.Tj being a year younger than the rest of us.Jenna's ears lowered slightly and her eyes dimmed in thought.  
"I'll try Teej but it might not go how you want it to."The fennec replied looking back at the lynx.After another 30 minutes of driving we finally reached the motel where we're staying for the week.  
"Ok Leo said that he told the manger that we were coming and he already paid for our room,I'm going to let him know that we arrived.Chase did Leo tell you anything else when you last talked?"Jenna asked when we piled out of the car and stretched out legs and tails.  
"Yea he said to wait in our room and he'll bring us sub sandwiches when we got here. I'll text him that were here now."I grunted as I cracked my back driving that long sucks major ass.after I right myself I pulled out my phone and pulled up Leo's chat bubble 

'Hey Leo were at the motel Jenna's letting the manger know and getting our room key'

I sent the message and put my phone back into my pocket as Jenna walks out of the front office and headed back towards us.  
"Ok so our room number is 17.Here Chase you take the keys and I'll help Tj unload the trunk.The fennec and I switch keys, her taking my car keys to unlock the trunk and me taking the room keys.  
"Can you be careful with the camera bags.” They aren't mine and I really don't want to have to pay the school if anything happens to them!" I called out before she got too far away.She gave me a nod and continued on her way back to the car. After finding the room and unlocking the door,the first thing I noticed is that the two beds were next to the bathroom, we'll have to be careful not to wake the others up when we have to go to the bathroom at night and, there was a small table and desk on opposite sides of the room.  
Jenna walks in and sets down her bags by her bed,Tj walks in and places his and my own bags down on the bed.I moved to separate them and picked out my camera bag and unzipped the zipper and pulled out the fairly used camera.  
"Hey I'm going outside to get a few B roll shots of the sky and surroundings right quick."I say as I adjust the straps on my neck and head out the door.Leo should be arriving soon but I have a feeling Carl's going to show up first,he was usually the first to show up when we got together as kids.the bright dessert sky offered good B roll shots.  
"Hey dude." A voice came from behind me said,as I turned around the faint scent of weed filled my nose,making my whiskers twitch a bit.A ram was walking up to me from down the street,Carl hasn't changed a bit since the last time I saw him in person.We had weekly gaming session online,and I usually see him through a computer screen.I quickly settle the camera around my neck and hurried to meet him halfway,and greet him with a hug. He was wearing his usual attire consisting of black cargo shorts,most likely a white t-shirt,his iconic hoodie,and his also iconic beanie.  
"Carl how've you been man?"I asked after we separated from each other.That last time we saw each other was on last week's game session.After that we didn't really have a chance to talk,it's been nothing but planning for this trip and me getting my assignment from my professor.  
"I've been good man, outside of gaming there's not much to do in Echo,I do go fishing with Flynn every now and then,and hang with Leo when he isn't busy with his family's mechanic business."The ram answers my question while putting his hands in his hoodie pocket.  
"You go fishing,since when?"Carl was never the outdoors type,if he could do what he needed to do indoors that's where you would always find him.We would have to bribe him to get out of the house when we were kids and after highschool I usually had to drag him out to do things until he left school.  
"You do know that there isn't much to do in Echo right?"was his response as he pulled out a joint and lit up.  
"Fair,hey come on I'm done here for now."I started to pack up my camera and walk back to the room.  
We chatted on the way back,just about what he's been up to with Leo and Flynn and what Jenna,Tj,and I have been up to outside of school work. Leo's parents had moved out and now he's living on his own in their old house. I asked how he gets to work since his parents moved and last time I heard he didn't have a car. Carl answered that for me his dad bought a small van for him to use.In turn i told him that Jenna has a boyfriend and Tj managed to get a girlfriend. Carl was shocked that Tj had a girlfriend. He asked about my love life after that and I told him that I haven't really found anyone.


End file.
